CHILD SAFE COMMITMENT

Training Programme

Empathy in practice. Expertise in action.  

Exceptional outcomes for young people start with the people beside them. EmPath™ prepares every coach, crew member, and partner to engage with knowledge, consistency, and care.

AFTER ATTENDING TRAINING

100%

attendees were satisfied with the training

100%

feel better equipped to work with young people at Larita Academy

100%

will change their approach or behaviour based on what they learnt

Training Designed from the Ground Up

EmPath™ is Larita Academy’s specialist training programme, purpose-built to prepare every person who engages with young people through our programme. Before the Academy begins each year, EmPath™ brings the entire Larita community together around one shared standard of knowledge, practice, and care.

No Exceptions. No Gaps.

EmPath™ is compulsory for every member of our community, coaches, crew, youth organisation partners, employment partners, and supporters. Completing this training is a requirement to attend and support Larita Academy, and a core part of our child safe commitment.

A Trained Community, Every Time

Expert-led by specialists in their field, EmPath™ delivers both professional knowledge and personal insight you will carry well beyond Larita Academy.

Timed for Impact

EmPath™ runs in the lead upto each Larita Academy, ensuring the entire community arrives prepared, aligned, and ready to deliver from day one

Who Attends EmPath™?

Whether you’re new to Larita Academy or returning for another year, EmPath™ is where every year starts. All members of the Larita community who work alongside young people are required to complete it.

Coaches &
Support Crew
The volunteers who deliver and facilitate the Larita Academy programme each year, working directly alongside young people throughout the week.
Youth Partner
Organisations
Our 11 partner organisations who refer, support, and stay connected with participants throughout and beyond the programme.
Businesses &
Employment Partners
Employers within the LK Group and our broader employment network, who provide real career pathways and workplace experiences for Larita graduates.
Sponsors &
Supporters
The individuals and businesses who champion the Larita Academy mission and whose engagement with young people is part of the programme experience.

Specialist Practitioners, Purpose-Built Content

Led by Anita Pahor and Dr Eamonn McCarthy, EmPath™ is delivered by a panel of practitioners with deep expertise across psychology, cultural knowledge, child safety, and human performance. Each trainer’s session is designed to translate directly into practice at Larita Academy.

Anita Pahor

PROGRAM LEAD
Co-Founder, Mind Your Monkey Psychology
Founder and Managing Director of Larita Academy and Co-Founder of Mind Your Monkey Psychology. Anita designs and leads the full EmPath™ programme, recruiting and curating the specialist expertise that underpins every session and ensuring the content translates directly into practice at Larita Academy.

Dr Eamonn McCarthy

CO-LEAD
DFP, MAPS, FCFP — Co-Founder,
Mind Your Monkey Psychology
Doctor of Forensic Psychology, Clinical Director and Chief Psychologist at Mind Your Monkey Psychology, and resident psychologist at Larita Academy. Former Principal Practitioner of Child Protection Victoria, CEO of Lighthouse Foundation, and advisor to the Victorian Therapeutic Treatment Board.

Amy Marshall

SPECIALIST TRAINER
Trust & Relationship Building
Youth Worker with a career spanning child protection, programme design, and community health. Formerly with the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s Secure Welfare Service, she then joined Whitelion, where she designed the Y4Y Youth Force programme, winner of the Victorian Premier’s Good Design Award for Social Impact 2020.

Kellie Langmaid

Specialist Trainer
First Nations and Inclusion Manager
Kellie Langmaid is head advisor for First Nations Affairs and Inclusion at the NBL Group, she serves as a trusted cultural custodian, driving national reform to embed equity and cultural safety at every level of the organisation.

Robert Stevens

Specialist Trainer
Coordinator, Youth & Middle Years Unit,
Yarra City Council
Coordinator of the Youth and Middle Years Unit at Yarra City Council, leading programmes for young people aged 8-25 across youth justice, arts, employment, and leadership. Former Senior Advisor for Safeguarding Children and Young People at Yarra, where he led implementation of the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

Dr Paul Taylor

Specialist Trainer
The Hardiness Effect
Psychophysiologist, PhD in Applied Psychology, and author of the best-selling book The Hardiness Effect. Former Royal Navy Officer and Adjunct Professor at the University of San Francisco, Dr Taylor is a globally recognised expert in hardiness. His research-backed programmes have been delivered to Oracle, SAP, PWC, NAB, BUPA, and the Australian Military.

Our Training Modules

EmPath™ offers specialist sessions, each led by a practitioner with deep expertise in their field. Together they cover everything you need to engage with confidence, care, and consistency

Understanding Trauma and Healing

Delivered by
Dr Eamonn McCarthy

Understanding how trauma shapes behaviour, communication, and trust, and what it means in practice to respond with awareness, not assumption.

On Country

Delivered by
Kellie Langmaid

Deepening cultural understanding so all interactions are grounded in respect and informed by First Nations culture, perspectives, and lived experience.

Understanding Neurodiversity

Delivered by
Dr Eamonn McCarthy

Building capacity to recognise and respond to a broad range of neurological differences, and what this means in practice.

Working with Young People at Risk and You Can’t Ask That

Delivered by
Amy Marshall

A scenario-based session covering the real moments that arise when working alongside young people, including the tricky questions you were not sure you could ask. Builds the confidence and judgement to respond well, set clear boundaries, and debrief effectively.

Understanding Gender

Delivered by
Dr Eamonn McCarthy

Developing a respectful and informed understanding of gender diversity, identity, and expression, and how to engage with confidence, care, and appropriate language.

Child Safety, It Takes a Village

Delivered by
Robert Stevens

Obligations, responsibilities, and best-practice approaches for keeping young people safe across all programme settings and interactions within the Child Safety Standards Framework.

Understanding Mental Health

Delivered by
Dr Eamonn McCarthy

Recognising the signs of common mental health challenges and building the knowledge to respond with awareness rather than assumption.

The Hardiness Effect

Delivered by
Dr Paul Taylor

Understanding psychological hardiness and how to build and model it in ourselves and those around us when navigating challenge and change.

What Participants Say

“Great afternoon and again walked away with lots of things I’m going to do with the knowledge I gained. Your point around application not just being about telling people how they need to change Anita is a good one. Think this would help you appeal to a broader market – ie not just those that work with young people.”
ANDREW BINNS, AUSTRALIAN COMMUNITIES FOUNDATION

“It was an extraordinary experience for me and I learnt a lot. I’ve been to plenty of Prof Learnings, conferences and heard keynote speakers but this was quite unique. It made me think deeply about the juxtaposition of ‘success’ in life, sport, business, etc compared with the battlers and strugglers in whom we hope to find, potential, grit and a willingness to try one more time.”
PAUL JOY, PRISON NETWORK
“I wanted to personally thank you for the Larita EmPath Training Day. It was truly an incredible experience. I learned so much and gained a deep appreciation for the profound impact the program and the training day have on everyone involved with the Larita Academy. I’m very grateful - it was both a privilege and an eye-opening experience. The insights I gained have already been so valuable, applying them both at home and work, so many of the concepts I find myself continuing to contemplate.”
NIKKI METZNER, BRAND COLLECTIVE
“I feel so much gratitude and I believe this training will have a lasting positive impact, both personally and professionally. It was truly an enriching experience, and I found the sessions to be both insightful and thought-provoking.”
KYLIE HITCHINER, NBL
“Thank you for this training, it stayed with me in a way I didn’t expect. It felt like something deeper than just preparation. It felt like being reminded of what’s possible when people are given the right environment to grow.”
KIKI, PRISON NETWORK
OUR PSYCHOLOGY PARTNER

The Clinical Foundation Behind EmPath™

EmPath™ is developed and underpinned by Mind Your Monkey (MYM) Psychology, led by Anita Pahor and Dr Eamonn McCarthy. Together they bring clinical rigour to every session, grounded in current best practice and built specifically for the realities of working with young people.

  • Evidence-based frameworks in youth psychology and trauma
  • Specialist expertise in psychological safety and resilience
  • Built for Larita Academy eco-system to ensure the programme delivers real impact and outcomes for young people
  • Directly translates into practice across the Larita Academy programme

Our Policies

Data and Privacy StatementChild Safe and WellbeingCode of ConductYour Safety MattersIt Takes a Village Toolkit